Reversible doors which may be hinged on either the left or right side are well known. For buildings or rooms occupied by people, the doors, including primary doors and screen doors, typically have a mortise lock with a live bolt actuated by the door handle. The live bolt has a beveled edge facing the door frame or closing direction of the door. However, unlike reversible doors, mortise locks typically are not reversible, which necessitates right-hand and left-hand mortise locks to be used, depending upon which side of the door is hinged. Thus, there is a need to manufacture both left and right-hand mortise locks, and to maintain an inventory of such locks for sale. These dual manufacturing and inventory requirements lead to additional costs.
Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of a reversible mortise lock which can be used on either a left-hand or right-hand side of a door.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a mortise lock having a reversible live bolt so that the lock can be used on opposite side edges of the door.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a mortise lock having a live bolt which is slidably and pivotally mounted in the housing for orientation in opposite directions.
Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved mortise lock which can be quickly and easily changed from a right-hand lock to a left-hand lock.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a reversible mortise lock having a live bolt which can be rotated 180° front to back.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a reversible mortise lock wherein the live bolt is locked against reversibility once the lock is installed in a door edge.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a reversible mortise lock which can be changed from a right-hand to left-hand orientation prior to installation in the door.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a mortise lock having a live bolt which can be reversed without the use of tools for installation on left and right-hand side edges of the door.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a reversible mortise lock which is economical to manufacture, and durable and safe in use.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.